by Rob Wilkins
TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL WITH MIKKO HIRVONEN: CLICK HERE
Mikko Hirvonen finished the 2007 season by taking the win on the season ending Wales Rally GB.
Crash.net Radio caught up with him to chat about that event, his year as a whole and his prospects for 2008, when he will be thrust into the limelight that much more, as he is expected to lead the
BP Ford World Rally Team challenge following Marcus Gronholm's decision to retire...
Crash.net:
Mikko, you finished the season with victory on the Rally GB, your third of the season. How happy were you with your performance in Wales?
Mikko Hirvonen:
I think if you saw the conditions, I am really happy. The Rally GB has never really been good for me - I have never had any good results there and have always been a bit too cautious in those conditions. So in that respect, I really rate the win quite highly.
Crash.net:
As you say, the weather this year on Rally GB was appalling. How much more difficult did that make things?
MH:
Well especially on Friday evening it was very difficult. Let's say through the whole of day 1 there was lots of fog and in all the stages there were problems with visibility. Then we went into the last stage and it was in the dark and that was very hard. There was so much fog and rain you could see only two or five metres in places. You really had to slow down and that is very difficult because even though you know everybody else has to do the same, you don't know how much to ease off. It is very difficult to be patient enough and just try and keep everything together.
Crash.net:
What did you think of the night stages? Were they a good addition to the event?
MH:
It is definitely kind of a new thing in the WRC. I know in the old days they use to drive in the dark all the time and maybe it is not so good for spectators and for TV, but it makes things more interesting. Definitely a lot more things happen all of the time and it is a new challenge for today's drivers - it is quite nice.
Crash.net:
This year you finished third in the standings and scored 99 points. Were you satisfied with the season overall?
MH:
Yes I am and the result in the end was very good. At the start of the year I was hoping I could stay quite close to Marcus and Sebastien [Loeb] in the drivers' championship and maybe challenge them on some rallies, which I did. After Finland I was only 5 points behind Sebastien but then on the tarmac rallies he got a lot of points and pulled out a gap. But overall I am really pleased with how the season went. In the future I need to take a step further and further – and then be even higher next year.
